The Flash: Rogue Time Review

By: Ashley Binion (@ashleybinion)
Let’s all agree that the previous episode, “Out of Time,” was the best hour The Flash has ever produced. Unfortunately, “Rogue Time” was a disappointing follow up.Warning: Spoilers ahead.
When time travel is introduced to a series, the first, and maybe the most important, thing that should happen is laying down ground rules for said time travel. Unfortunately, there were little ground rules set. For the most part, they were made up as they went along. Let’s take when Barry saw himself while running as an example. What happened to that other Barry? Did that first timeline disappear or does that timeline still exist and marches on without a Barry Allen? There are so many more questions I can bore you with but I won’t. Let’s just say that all the rules weren’t thoroughly explained.
At the end of “Out of Time,” the biggest question was how much of the episode would be undone. Well, it turns out all of it. Nothing that happened in the previous episode came to pass in “Rouge Time.” This episode did take the events of the previous episode and put some interesting little twists on them. Take Wells’ murderous ways for an example. Even though Cisco survived, that doesn’t mean everyone escaped unscathed. Poor Mason Bridge, he was really onto something. Now, thanks to the reporter, Barry is having major doubts about Wells.
Wentworth Miller is killing it as Snart, aka Captain Cold. He has been the best piece of casting of the series so far. Sorry Victor Garber, I love you, but Miller is just too good. Watching him do his thing is so much fun to watch. When he talks, it’s like he’s savoring the dialogue. Somehow he doesn’t fall into camp territory. It’s brilliant. Dominic Purcell, aka Heat Wave, is also so fun to watch. Snart’s final scene was forced, but I loved his line, “The Rogues. Cute.” Obviously that scene was an attempt to set him up for the spinoff that the CW has planned.
Barry and Iris’ scene at Jitters was awkward and downright cringe-worthy. I have to say, it was the worst yet, and that’s saying something. “Out of Time” had Iris professing her feelings to Barry. My only problem is that I never understood where the feelings came from. All of a sudden, they just appeared. The relationship felt thrown together and not well conceived beyond the point of the writers wanting them together.
Now, in “Rogue Time,” Iris continued to be adamant about not having feelings for Barry. I know Wells said that the impending danger made Iris realize her feelings, but besides that, I don’t see any difference between the two timelines. All of a sudden she has feelings for the speedster then all of a sudden she doesn’t. I understand they are two different timelines, but it’s jarring.
I think I finally figured out why their relationship is so weird to me. It reminds me so much of Dexter. (Warning: Spoilers for Dexter.) Dexter and Deb were foster siblings, much like Iris and Barry, and they ended up having a thing at one point in the series. It weirded me out. So now I’m creeped out by The Flash’s foster siblings.
And poor Eddie. He deserves out of this weird situation. I’m glad that with the completely impossible Lightning Psychosis, Eddie and Barry are back to their adorable bromance.